Welshpool nature reserves celebrating milestones
Llyn Coed y Dinas and Severn Farm Pond, turn 30 and 35 respectively this year, with the milestones to be marked with a duo of free events this autumn, designed to give nature-lovers the opportunity to find out more about these special places and their wildlife.
A former dumping ground for brick and glass on the edge of the busy industrial estate it’s named after, Severn Farm Pond Nature Reserve was bought by MWT in 1988.
In the years that followed, the conservation charity set about making the site a sanctuary where wildlife would thrive and local people could get close to nature.
Today, many important species of water-birds and dragonflies flourish in this urban oasis. Severn Farm Pond also provides a hub for the Trust’s award-winning ecotherapy project Wild Skills Wild Spaces, and is partially maintained by local volunteers.
Its value to the local community as a green space has been recognised with a recent Green Flag Award.
The Trust is marking 35 years of Severn Farm Pond making Welshpool wilder with an anniversary event at the nature reserve on Friday, October 6, where attendees will enjoy a guided tour around the reserve, and the chance to try their hand at willow-weaving, followed by refreshments.
Llyn Coed y Dinas, meanwhile, became a nature reserve in 1993 when it was created from an old gravel pit (that subsequently filled with water) left over from the building of the Welshpool bypass.
Thirty years of Llyn Coed y Dinas providing a vital refuge for wildlife and people in Welshpool is being celebrated on Sunday, November 5, with a free event, where attendees will be able to find out about the reserve’s fascinating past, plans for the future, and the winged wildlife it’s so famous for.
The events are relaxed and open to everyone, not just MWT members, and are free, although donations to the Trust’s conservation work are welcome.
While different, both nature reserves are perfect illustrations of the principle that anywhere, if given the right care and attention, can become a haven for wildlife. Thanks to their urban settings, both reserves also provide important places where people can escape the stresses of daily life and connect with nature.
Who are Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust?
Founded in 1982, Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust has been working for more than 40 years protecting wildlife and wild places, educating, influencing and empowering people. They own and manage 18 of the best sites for wildlife in Montgomeryshire, have around 2,000 members and 300 volunteers.
Clive Faulkner, CEO of Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust, said: “I’ve known Severn Farm Pond and Llyn Coed y Dinas nature reserves, as a member of MWT staff in post, for nearly 30 years. In that time, I have seen them develop, improve and mature into the wildlife havens they are today, and it never ceases to surprise me what an array of different species they attract. That such amazing places for nature have been created out of industrial sites is an inspiring example of how we are making Montgomeryshire wilder.”
Helen Siddons, volunteer warden of Severn Farm Pond Nature Reserve, said: “Severn Farm Pond Nature Reserve has changed a lot over the years, but it’s remained the same peaceful green space it’s always been. I’ve been delighted by the brilliant work already achieved by MWT’s Wild Skills Wild Spaces team, and look forward to the reserve continuing its new chapter of change.”
Details of the nature reserve anniversary events, and how to book, can be found on www.montwt.co.uk/events
PICTURES:
Top: Tiny urban oasis, Severn Farm Pond Nature Reserve is one of Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust’s most accessible sites, thanks to wheelchair- and pushchair-friendly flat, surfaced paths and boardwalk. Photo: © Daniel Hodgkiss
BOTTOM: A lake covers more than half of Llyn Coed y Dinas Nature Reserve, which is one of the best places in the county for bird-watching. Photo: © Gary Williams Photography
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